I am taking the other aldosterone antagonist, epelerenone. My endocrinologist prescribed epelerenone since he believes it is better tolerated than spiranolactone. I am 56 and recently broke out with acne. In prior years Yasmin was all that was required to control my acne. HRT was administered (only .0375 estrodial patch 1x/wkly). I was not prepared for skin eruptions at this age. The estrogen producing machinery falls flat at menopause. Correspondingly, androgen levels remain high. This apparently is why some post menopausal women may experience acne in later years. I recommend epelerenone or spiranolactone for this skin disorder since as previously noted no other treatment may be effective.

I cannot say enough positive things about this drug... I had hormonal acne that came on in my early 20's and have tried Retin A, antiobiotics, Proactiv, etc... Nothing worked. I have been on spiro (50 mg) about a year now, and I rarely EVER get a pimple. In fact, I think the last time I had one was probably 6 months ago, and when I do, they are small and nothing like the breakouts I had before. I also no longer suffer from oily skin, and had previously had problems with this my whole life. I am now only taking this once every 3 days (every other day during the week of my period). The results have been GREAT. I've had 2 friends that have recently started using spiro as well and are very pleased thus far. In addition, my gynocologist told me during my last visit that this drug also helps with bloating. I get so many compliments on my complexion now... I absolutely LOVE this drug.

Here's my story: Month 1: Gradually increased from 50 to 100 mg/day over 2 weeks and experienced the side effects and noticed ONLY that my face was less shiny, no noticeable decrease in acne. Checked potassium levels, no significant increase. Months 2-3: Increased from 100 to 200mg/day - lips seemed dry and cheeks got quite dry and I was thirsty often. Side effects diminished after one week. Scalp became far less oily (no need to wash it every day - hooray! - and shedding seemed decreased) acne greatly diminished on face EXCEPT for chin, neck and jawline, where is was almost worse. Had two periods within 1 month. Months 4-5: Side effects diminish, except no period for over 2 months and mild constipation. Acne on neck and jawline virtually gone, but still persistent acne on chin in very small amounts (basically 1 or 2 at a time) Months 6-7: Periods still irregular; taking fiber for regularity, otherwise minimal side-effects. Have had NO ACNE for about a month. Pota

I have used every possible combination of acne treatment available. Last year I tried smooth beam laser which made me scar and get a LOT of dark spots, I do not recommend that treatment at all. Spiro is the only thing that works. I have had consistent acne since highschool, I am now 23 and finally have clear skin. I take 100 mg a day plus 25 from my birth control. I wash with Neutrogena oil free cream cleanser and use differin .3 at night. This combination is amazing. My skin is smooth and I never get those under the skin hard cysts anymore. For those who have only been on this med for a short time, don't give up! I can't tell you how many times I have called my mom crying, complaining about my skin and how many times she told me to "stick it out". Stay on this medicine, it takes a long time to work but is worth the wait! Also don't get discouraged if your skin gets worse initially, mine got horrible and I almost gave up, then a month later I woke up with clear skin.

If you are over 25 and still with acne,, or you are younger but have other simptoms as well (alopecia, oily skin, hirsutism) chances are you have hormonal acne. That means that you can either have too much production of masculin hormones (androgens/testoterone) or your skin receptors are too sensitive to a NORMAL (within the range) level of hormones. So the skin converts the normal level of masculin hormones circulating in your body into a greater amount of acne, oil, body hair etc. Don't let the doctors convince you that if your hormones levels are within range that you do not have hormonal acne. There are lot of respectable reaserch atesting to that. Spiro is a great way to get rid of acne (hormonal or adult) acne, with almost no negative side effets and can be taken during a long period of time. Much better than pill. I take it without BCP, and i take 100mg 4 to 5 times per week. You don't need to take it every day mind you!Apart from a bit of lack of energy, no side effects for me!

I take 150 of spiro daily and it took me about 3 months to see total clearance of my skin. My oiliness is now normal. It didn't work overnight but it WORKS. I'm very impatient when it comes to my appearance, but my persistence paid off and I highly recommend spiro for women experiencing hormonal acne.

I never ever write reviews, but I felt the need to share my experience on spironolactone. In my early 20s, I went on spironolactone as a last resort. I had terrible hormonal acne for years along my jawline and red inflamed skin no matter what I tried. Spironolactone worked like a charm for me, and I was on it for almost 4 years with absolutely perfect skin. However, after some time, I started to develop digestive issues and generally did not feel well most of the time. At the recommendation of a doctor, I decided to go off of Spiro at that time. After a few months off of Spiro my acne came back full force, but I remained off of Spiro for another two years. During that time, I coincidentally had food allergy testing done and found out that I had a mild dairy allergy. I cut most dairy out of my diet (not all, but definitely cut way back on dairy) and after about 6 months my skin became perfectly clear again (just like when I had been on Spiro). I've been off of dairy for almost two years now and my skin is still clear. For me, I believe dairy had been causing a hormonal imbalance which Spiro had temporarily covered up years before. While I don't know this for sure, I wanted to share my story in case it happens to be the same for any of you. A natural cure may be possible depending on your situation. Good luck to all of you in searching for an acne solution!

This has been my savior. I started breaking out as a teenager and struggled up until age 30 with persistent break outs. In college, I probably should have been on accutane. I have tried everything under the sun; every regimen and product. Some would work for the short term but then the acne would just pop up again. I went to numerous dermatologists who always prescribed a lousy drying product with a bogus antibiotic. It was an endless cycle. After turning 30, I couldn't handle having acne anymore. I researched a TON online and speculated that I could have PCOS....(when I was 18, I stopped getting a period for 8 months. I was told it was because I had low body weight and was a Division 1 athlete, I was put on the birth control pill....which helped a bit). The BCP basically masked the fact that I had PCOS. So... fast forward to age 30, I tell my OBGYN what I'm thinking and sure enough, I have PCOS! I have been taking spiro for a year and half now and I haven't had any break outs. Maybe the beginnings of one tiny pimple but then it magically disappears. My skin is smooth, glowing and I don't even wear make up, just a little bronzer...people ask me what I use and tell me I have amazing skin-it's extraordinary. I always say thank you and am flattered but little do they know the pain and torture I went through for years. For me, the spiro kicked in right away....I would say withthin two weeks my skin was flawless. It was truly miraculous. My only hope is that this medication is safe long term because I won't be going off....

This drug has helped a lot of people, so I'm a little weary posting this review considering I had a relatlvely negative experience. My acne is hormonal (PCOS). This drug was given to me by my dermatologist who was convinced this would help. I took it from November 2012 to September 2013, only just stopping last week. Not only did this not help my acne at all, it also caused me to be EXTREMELY fatigued. I also had quite a few of the negative side effects listed on the medication's pamphlet, such as irregular, fast heartbeat, dizziness, etc. I always felt like I was going to pass out or fall asleep while driving. I had to quit the gym and I found myself sleeping whenever I could find the time. My job suffered, I gained weight, and I was miserable. Last week I decided that enough was enough, and I stopped the drug. I felt a little better the next day, but every day I get better. I also found that I didn't have to pee a lot on this medicine, no more than I had to before taking this years ago. Try for yourself if I didn't scare you enough! Just make sure it's well regulated. My doctors neglected to tell me about the side effects and I really thought I was terribly, terribly ill. Good luck!

LAST UPDATE FOR SPIRO over 2 months My daughter has been on 100 mg 1xd for 66 days. She is looking and feeling great. Her acne on her face has cleared and she is basically just dealing with discoloration. This is fading but like with everything related to acne it just takes time. She has experienced no side effects at all. Her chin, jawline and forehead are clear just the light discoloration on cheeks. Totally different girl than she was this summer. Back to confident, carefree, happy girl. She is even using her experience to encourage others. Just a fast side note.... When she first started taking spiro she had been on BCP's for two months. When she was on the pill acne got worse and she gained 12 lbs. she could not get the 12 lbs off and she exercises" big time" daily. For her the pill didn't work at all. She easily dropped the 12lbs after 3 weeks of being off the pill and is back to her incredible fit self. Spiro and the pill can work great together however listen to your body. You don't have to be on the pill for spiro to work. She also has some back acne. It was not clearing as fast as face. Back acne can be very stubborn. A month ago she started using BenzEFoam wash (no generic). She tried generic with no results. Her back is clearing faster now with only a few active spots left. Uses the BenzEFoam Ultra wash and OTC bp. She has to use moisturizer as skin is dry but not noticeable if she is on top of it. She washes with gently cleanser in morning and uses a toner that is homemade with witch hazel and omnicef. Omnicef is an antibiotic that was prescribed. She does not take them orally however we opened all the capsules into the witch hazel to make the toner. Her topical is aczone which she uses both in morning and evenings. She also takes her spiro in the morning with a full glass of water and drinks 2 liters of water through out the day. The constant having to use the bathroom has stopped. No more getting up in the middle of night to pee. At night she uses gentle cleanser along with an "oil of Olay" brush and gently cleanses her face and then applies Aczone. During this process she decided to cut out dairy and processed foods totally. Not sure if this helped acne but she feels a lot better and has no cravings for that stuff anymore. She has always been a pretty healthy eater. If she does one bite is plenty for her, again this is just her own conviction. I think her results luckly just happened early because it can take up to 4-6 months for spiro to kick in. Her pores also look small. I'm so glad that I was so anti accutane for her. Her acne wasn't bad enough for accutane in my opinion. Mentally for her it was and physically it wasn't pretty at all however it wasn't cystic severe all over her face acne. Accutane takes just as long to work as spiro does. As both have side effects with accutane the risk can be very high. I know that I sound anti accutane however I believe that there is a time and place for it. It was not meant for moderate acne. It should be used as a last resort and only after you have really given other things a fair shot. It a serious choice! A few months of trial and error isn't worth the possible side effects that can last a life time or putting your body through the process of completely drying up your insides of all oils to the point that your joints ache ( this is a common side effect of accutane). I am now giving 5 stars to Spiro as it has worked great for moderate to severe acne. She has NO SCARRING AT ALL. Stick with it and give it a chance to work! It's amazing to have my wonderful daughter back with her amazing smile and beautiful spirit. Thank God and hang in there!!! UPDATE 31 DAYS ON SPIRO So my daughter has been on Spiro for 31 days. She honestly looks sooo much better with each day. I would say her face is 90% clear and she really doesn't have new breakouts however the old acne is still clearing out. I switched derms ( she is seeing a very well known derm for acne). When she saw her she didn't try to push laser or blue light rather she kept her on the spiro and added a few things to her regimen (prescription washes ect). She took her off BCP as they were not working rather possible working against the Spiro ( the bCP works great for some but my daughter isn't one as she had side effects). Some people have great results with spiro and BCP. She is extremely happy to be off the pill. When I asked if she needed Accutane like the other 2 derms wanted to put her on, her response was " she will clear up without it so NO". The hardest part is that I think this forum is GREAT however everyone's acne is different so just remember that just because something didn't work for one person doesn't mean it won't work for you. I know how hard this is but waiting to let things work is the key. Yes we all want a quick fix and its not there especially if other things have not worked and you have to start at square one. Ugh it was killing me just watching my child go through it. I was just as distrought as she was. Now she isnt as worried b/c i am worried enough for the both of us. She actually sees that it is slowly but steadly working and is much more relaxed. I think her knowing that i am in there fighting this with her gives her great relief however her acne is rarely the topic of our conversations. When she gets ready for school and i tell her how pretty she looks she finally believes me. Plus going to a dermo that was so positive about her progress and future progress was like a 100 lb weight being lifted from her shoulders. Even her dad could tell that the positive and compassionate dermo played a huge role with her stress level. The new things that the new derm put in her regimen seem to be the key to working towards the goal of totally clear skin. The new derm seemed surprised that she was put on spiro without a regimen and I am as well. Again, I feel as thought the old derm just wanted to put her on accutane and be done with it. This new dermo had a completely different angle and was extremely positive regarding her heading to being completely clear.... Not cured but clear. My daughter has self confidence again! One thing I want to mention is that I immediately started to take action when I saw that her acne was getting out of control. This is so important b/c she does not have any scarring which is surprising b/c her breakouts were heavy & thick on chin and along lower cheeks & jaw line (breakout on top of breakout in this area). The derm was very pleased to see that scarring had not started. The sooner you seek treatment the better. Also it is so important not to pick off dry skin, scrub ur face or try to pop pimples. All of that leads to scarring! I will do an update after 60 days on spiro along with her new regimen. The reason for 4 stars and not 5 stars b/c she is not totally clear yet. All take care, have faith, and remember that you are beautiful inside. START OF SPIRO My 16 year old daughter has been stuggling with moderately severe acne for past 8 months. It just seemed to come out of no where. She is an elite athlete and her lack of confidence in the past 3 months has me very concerned. Took her to 1st dermo 6 months ago and she wanted to put her on Accutane before trying anything else. The side effect for an athlete are quite severe. I said "no way"! So they put her on antibiotics and Epiduo. Also during this time we were doing home remedies.... Tea tree oil, zinc, dry vitiman E ect. When she stopped the home remedies in June her acne exploded. I did let her start taking ortho tri cyclen BC. They did say that the BC takes 3 months to start working. After 2 months my beautiful 16 year old went from a confident young lady to someone that was retreating socially and couldn't even look you in the eyes. I made an appointment with a acne specialist ( pediatric dermo). When we went in she just wanted to put